Rubaya Landslides Appeal Update

Comfort Congo have provided an update on the situation in Rubaya, North Kivu, the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the community have been affected by a series of landslides. Comfort Congo have been sharing with us how these funds have been vital in providing emergency shelter, feeding, and starting to plan ahead for soil stabilisation work.

We would like to thank everyone once again for their generous contributions to the emergency appeal and share with you the encouraging work that is still going on by our incredible partners. We hope you are as inspired by them as we are.

The Emerging Picture

Comfort Congo write, ‘At the beginning, we had an estimated figure of about 700 people who perished during the four landslides. However, as time passed, additional bodies were discovered. Sadly, many of them were already decomposed, making identification extremely difficult. In most cases, counting was done based only on visible remains, especially heads. This explains why the number has risen beyond the initial estimate and there are over 1000 people who have died. Behind these numbers are real people—families torn apart, children left alone, and a community overwhelmed with grief.’

We were saddened to hear that children from the school were killed in the disaster, as were members of the Free Methodist Church which works with Comfort Congo to oversee the Rubaya school building project. Callum met leaders of the church during a CIMS training programme in Goma recently and they told of the devastation suffered. Two of the four landslides were at night when people were asleep and many children died in that way. There are also still some of the poorest children who go mining after school to try and provide something for their families and some died. We are looking at a future income generation support project which would help those children’s families and avoid the necessity of them going to the mines and both Comfort Congo and the church are working hard to eliminate child labour at the mines.

There are also many widows affected by this tragedy. At this stage, we do not yet have an exact number, as many remain scattered and unregistered. However, among those connected to our local church in RUBAYA, we witness their suffering closely. Many have lost their husbands, homes, and fields due to soil erosion. Today, they are without shelter and without stable means of survival.

Rubaya Mining Orphans Support

There are many children orphaned from the disasters. Some are sleeping in the recently built Marajeo school without structured care but with some support, including trauma healing support from a psychologist.

However, the ironic tragedy is that their new vulnerability as orphans makes them even more susceptible to exploitation and death in the mines as they have no means of support other than to mine. Comfort Congo write, ‘These children face daily risks, exploitation, and extreme hardship. Instead of safety and care, they are exposed to environments that threaten their future.’ Comfort Congo are trying to rescue 50 of those children and support them to be hosted in families of the local Rubaya church or looked after at the church itself. They need food, clothing, education access and ongoing care and emotional support.

This project will require new funding and we will be looking for partners – perhaps connecting with a church(es) which would consider this really life-changing and community transforming project. It is obviously urgent so please pray for the right support to be found quickly.

Support Given

Comfort International have sent $15,000 as an initial emergency fund. The priorities are to get land to enable the homeless to have shelter and Comfort Congo will provide roofing for new basic homes to be built on land where there is no danger of landslides or mineral extraction. The families there will also be supported with food. We hope to have this done shortly and will provide further information as we receive reports.